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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wind — moving air
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. row — to paddle
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. content — happy
  13. mate — a partner
  14. row — a line
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. content — the amount
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com